To link to the entire object, paste this link in email, IM or documentTo embed the entire object, paste this HTML in websiteTo link to this page, paste this link in email, IM or documentTo embed this page, paste this HTML in website

1 'Cats to play r ; AT A GLANCE EDITORIAL. SPORTS (fl THE 34 cjoiy y7e Qcstrj 2009 p 1 9 games over u if long weekend see page 5 1 MONDAY, FEBRUARY 12, 2010 VOL 80 ISSUE 61 WEBER STATE UNIVERSITY WWW.WSUSIGNP0ST.COM 3 HUH MJh D05 GDDQG Flooding in Promontory Tower forces residents out By Cimaron Neugebauer and Lacie Benson The Signpost Danielle Argyle woke up at 11 p.m. to the sound of a fire alarm in Weber State University's Promontory Tower on Tuesday night. The nursing major and her roommate live on the ninth floor. "I think it (was) just really sudden," Argyle said. "Nobody expected it and we just thought, 'This is a really weird time for a drill,' and so we just hopped out of bed thinking it couldn't be anything serious."Water flooded the 10th floor and started entering rooms on the ninth floor from the ceiling in a steady stream. A student on the 10th floor had hung his keychain lanyard from a sprinkler affixed to the wall in his closet. The individual grabbed the lanyard and accidentally broke the sprinkler head off of the wall, causing the pressure of the pipe to explode massive amounts of water on the 10th and ninth floors. The localized flood, according to Director of Media Relations John Kowaleski, directly affected about 38-43 students on the ninth and 10th floors. All of the rooms on the 10th floor had 1-2 inches of standing water at the peak of the incident. Approximately 70 percent of residents on the ninth floor experienced some water in their rooms, with about half an inch of water. j i ii mi 1 : g -I i'T-- -n ! : ; ; ' : : ' - ' ' " ' 'J- 1 . T' . . i . ) -. :" .' v . - 7 - . - , : i . - -v . --. - - , ,1, - . ' , i-1,- " PHOTO BY LACIE BENSON j lHt SICNPOS1 Residents of Promontory Tower wait in the building's lobby as restoration crews remove water from the upper floors of the building. A student caused the flooding after he accidentally broke a sprinkler head affixed to his closet ceiling on the 10th floor. "I was getting ready for bed," said David Dressel, a WSU student who lives on the 10th floor. "I just got out of the shower and I heard this loud spraying sound, so I walked out of my room and water was everywhere." ' In a panic, the student whose sprinkler head broke pulled the fire alarm, sending all of the residents out of their beds, showers and warm rooms, to stand outside Promontory Tower until the fire department arrived. "It's like Pandemonium 2010," said Ged Carrington, a resident of the Wasatch Dormitory who came to observe the crisis. "I was talking to my boyfriend and heard the fire alarm go off," said Lauren Nielson, a student living on the seventh floor. "I opened my door and saw bunches and bunches of water." Residents were allowed back inside after fire and police crews arrived. Many students sat on the floor or counter tops as they waited for the OK to go back up to their rooms to assess the damage. While students waited in ' the lobby, See Flood page 4 dimension New software takes OTT Planetarium into the 3D world By Amber Marcusen news reporter 1 77ie Signpost Strings sing, cymbals clash and a toy block falls from the top of the dome. Soon that single block engulfs the entire sphere, appearing about to crush an audience of elementary students. This is a familiar scene at Weber State University's Ott Planetarium. The planetarium has a variety of movies, but they all have one tiling in common they are made widi Blender. Blender is a free open-source 3D content creation suite that is, free software that can be used to create 3D images. "The dome surrounds the audience," said Ron Proctor, Ott Planetarium production coordinator. "It's not just a screen that's in front of you. It's in front of you, it's behind you, it's on your left and on your right and above you." Proctor explained the process by describing a fish-eye camera lens. Looking through the lens, it is possible to see beyond peripheral vision. "In the dome you've got 180 degrees across and 360 degrees around, and so you have to produce images that are mapped to diat kind of projection," Proctor said. "We've figured out how to do that in Blender." Planetarium directors discovered Blender by Internet search. They received grants to purchase new computers, but found it was too expensive to pay for 3D software for all of the computers. Assistant planetarium director Amyjo Proctor said she thinks Blender is a good alternative to commercial software. See Planetarium page 4 Building vunding a no-go despite day at the Capitol Legislators give WSU president positive feedback after visiting with WSU students at the State Capitol r LEGiSLATUREJ By Cimaron Neugebauer news editor I The Signpost Students from a variety of majors and disciplines came together in a circle of purple at the Utah State Capitol Rotunda for the second annual Weber State University Day at the Capitol on Thursday, Feb. 11. There were 26 individual booths gathered in the Rotunda, where students from WSU presented either researcli or initiatives. Not only did the event give students a chance to meet with legislators and share their research, the university was also able to convey how important continued funding is to programs in higher education like undergraduate research. John Cavitt, director for the Office of Undergraduate Research, said the event helped legislators learn what WSU students are doing within the community with their education. "The most important thing we are trying to do today is raise awareness of real high-quality projects that our students engage in, both research and community-based research projects," Cavitt said. Students showed their research and spoke with legislators in an effort to indicate that students are using the funding going to WSU to accomplish pertinent research projects. "It is an important opportunity for (legislators) to realize what their funding dollars do," Cavitt said. The Day at the Capitol also corresponds with WSU Alumni Day at the Capitol, which, according to President Ann Millner, has been in effect for many years. Millner said legislators had very positive things to say about students at WSU and enjoyed the interaction with students during the event. Funding impacts what students can do regarding research. According to Millner, the university is only able to continue offering these experiences to students if they have support from those who provide the funding. "We have some really exceptional students doing undergraduate research work and working with faculty and we want (legislators) to see the kind of experiences they are ha ing at Weber State University," Millner said. Alyse Lssig, a senior majoring in dental hygiene at WSU, thought attending the Day at the Capitol would be a great way to show legislators that WSU students, not only professors,, arc doing research. F.ssig. along with fellow classmates Jessica Robinson an J Ashley Rasmussen, presented their research on oral care in long-term care facilities. "It seems we are getting more jt Tho Ellccls ol Hign Ionic oirengui f I Platelet Storaye . ,,. if ! 30 I'MUIOM ,AIHAN OLjLIO0 i illL I.MI)., Quinn Bate, Kyle Fusselman and Aaron Roane stand in front of their research project poster in the Rotunda of the Capitol Building during WSU's Day at the Capitol. budget cuts than we deserve, because we really are a great undergraduate institution," Essig said. "We are a teaching institution, but because of that, our students are involved in the research, which is actually phenomenal, as opposed to being a research university where it is mostly professors with a few lucky students (doing the research)." Brcnda Kowaleski, co-director of the Community Involvement Center, said the Day at the Capitol gav e members of WSU a chance to show legislators that the university is more than just a learning institution. "1 actually think Weber State is a learning institution," she saiii. "1 wouldn't call it a teaching institution, and when you talk about learning institution, then you are talking about research, you are talking about community engagement, you are talking about teaching, you are talking about all of those things. "I think actually Weber State is providing the best education to undergrads in the state. We are affording them opportunities that they normally wouldn't get at other institutions. Our faculty are doing research; the difference is we are doing research with our students." Kowaleski said she thinks doing research on campus not only reinforces social responsibility, it can also teach students how to make a positive change locally. "I think it (is) important for students to understand ihtir education actually has an impact on the community," Kowaleski said. "What i hey arc learning on a college campus can be transferred to the community." C.nmrvf-nt on this tory at wsusignpost.com Davis campus building project doesn't make the cut By Cimaron Neugebauer news editor 1 77ie Signjxist Along list of building and land projects was cut down to only four, and Weber State University's Davis campus building project didn't make the cut. Final recommendations were made with the Capital Facilities and Government Operations and Appropriations Subcommittee at the Utah State Capitol on Thursday, Feb. 11. Last week WSU was ranked 10th in the Building Board's list of 10 projects 'throughout the state to be reviewed. On Thursday, the subcommittee only approved four priority projects out of the original list of those who initially presented last week. WSU's opportunity for receiving funding for the Davis campus building this year looks to be a long shot. Although final funding won't be certain until the end of the legislative session, it doesn't look promising, but WSU knew what they were up against at the beginning of the session, according to Vice President for University Advancement Brad Mortensen. "With Davis (campus) building, we kind of knew where we were at coming in and the session still has a long ways to go," Mortensen said. See Denied page 4

Public Domain. Courtesy of University Archives, Stewart Library, Weber State University.

Full-Text

1 'Cats to play r ; AT A GLANCE EDITORIAL. SPORTS (fl THE 34 cjoiy y7e Qcstrj 2009 p 1 9 games over u if long weekend see page 5 1 MONDAY, FEBRUARY 12, 2010 VOL 80 ISSUE 61 WEBER STATE UNIVERSITY WWW.WSUSIGNP0ST.COM 3 HUH MJh D05 GDDQG Flooding in Promontory Tower forces residents out By Cimaron Neugebauer and Lacie Benson The Signpost Danielle Argyle woke up at 11 p.m. to the sound of a fire alarm in Weber State University's Promontory Tower on Tuesday night. The nursing major and her roommate live on the ninth floor. "I think it (was) just really sudden," Argyle said. "Nobody expected it and we just thought, 'This is a really weird time for a drill,' and so we just hopped out of bed thinking it couldn't be anything serious."Water flooded the 10th floor and started entering rooms on the ninth floor from the ceiling in a steady stream. A student on the 10th floor had hung his keychain lanyard from a sprinkler affixed to the wall in his closet. The individual grabbed the lanyard and accidentally broke the sprinkler head off of the wall, causing the pressure of the pipe to explode massive amounts of water on the 10th and ninth floors. The localized flood, according to Director of Media Relations John Kowaleski, directly affected about 38-43 students on the ninth and 10th floors. All of the rooms on the 10th floor had 1-2 inches of standing water at the peak of the incident. Approximately 70 percent of residents on the ninth floor experienced some water in their rooms, with about half an inch of water. j i ii mi 1 : g -I i'T-- -n ! : ; ; ' : : ' - ' ' " ' 'J- 1 . T' . . i . ) -. :" .' v . - 7 - . - , : i . - -v . --. - - , ,1, - . ' , i-1,- " PHOTO BY LACIE BENSON j lHt SICNPOS1 Residents of Promontory Tower wait in the building's lobby as restoration crews remove water from the upper floors of the building. A student caused the flooding after he accidentally broke a sprinkler head affixed to his closet ceiling on the 10th floor. "I was getting ready for bed," said David Dressel, a WSU student who lives on the 10th floor. "I just got out of the shower and I heard this loud spraying sound, so I walked out of my room and water was everywhere." ' In a panic, the student whose sprinkler head broke pulled the fire alarm, sending all of the residents out of their beds, showers and warm rooms, to stand outside Promontory Tower until the fire department arrived. "It's like Pandemonium 2010," said Ged Carrington, a resident of the Wasatch Dormitory who came to observe the crisis. "I was talking to my boyfriend and heard the fire alarm go off," said Lauren Nielson, a student living on the seventh floor. "I opened my door and saw bunches and bunches of water." Residents were allowed back inside after fire and police crews arrived. Many students sat on the floor or counter tops as they waited for the OK to go back up to their rooms to assess the damage. While students waited in ' the lobby, See Flood page 4 dimension New software takes OTT Planetarium into the 3D world By Amber Marcusen news reporter 1 77ie Signpost Strings sing, cymbals clash and a toy block falls from the top of the dome. Soon that single block engulfs the entire sphere, appearing about to crush an audience of elementary students. This is a familiar scene at Weber State University's Ott Planetarium. The planetarium has a variety of movies, but they all have one tiling in common they are made widi Blender. Blender is a free open-source 3D content creation suite that is, free software that can be used to create 3D images. "The dome surrounds the audience," said Ron Proctor, Ott Planetarium production coordinator. "It's not just a screen that's in front of you. It's in front of you, it's behind you, it's on your left and on your right and above you." Proctor explained the process by describing a fish-eye camera lens. Looking through the lens, it is possible to see beyond peripheral vision. "In the dome you've got 180 degrees across and 360 degrees around, and so you have to produce images that are mapped to diat kind of projection," Proctor said. "We've figured out how to do that in Blender." Planetarium directors discovered Blender by Internet search. They received grants to purchase new computers, but found it was too expensive to pay for 3D software for all of the computers. Assistant planetarium director Amyjo Proctor said she thinks Blender is a good alternative to commercial software. See Planetarium page 4 Building vunding a no-go despite day at the Capitol Legislators give WSU president positive feedback after visiting with WSU students at the State Capitol r LEGiSLATUREJ By Cimaron Neugebauer news editor I The Signpost Students from a variety of majors and disciplines came together in a circle of purple at the Utah State Capitol Rotunda for the second annual Weber State University Day at the Capitol on Thursday, Feb. 11. There were 26 individual booths gathered in the Rotunda, where students from WSU presented either researcli or initiatives. Not only did the event give students a chance to meet with legislators and share their research, the university was also able to convey how important continued funding is to programs in higher education like undergraduate research. John Cavitt, director for the Office of Undergraduate Research, said the event helped legislators learn what WSU students are doing within the community with their education. "The most important thing we are trying to do today is raise awareness of real high-quality projects that our students engage in, both research and community-based research projects," Cavitt said. Students showed their research and spoke with legislators in an effort to indicate that students are using the funding going to WSU to accomplish pertinent research projects. "It is an important opportunity for (legislators) to realize what their funding dollars do," Cavitt said. The Day at the Capitol also corresponds with WSU Alumni Day at the Capitol, which, according to President Ann Millner, has been in effect for many years. Millner said legislators had very positive things to say about students at WSU and enjoyed the interaction with students during the event. Funding impacts what students can do regarding research. According to Millner, the university is only able to continue offering these experiences to students if they have support from those who provide the funding. "We have some really exceptional students doing undergraduate research work and working with faculty and we want (legislators) to see the kind of experiences they are ha ing at Weber State University," Millner said. Alyse Lssig, a senior majoring in dental hygiene at WSU, thought attending the Day at the Capitol would be a great way to show legislators that WSU students, not only professors,, arc doing research. F.ssig. along with fellow classmates Jessica Robinson an J Ashley Rasmussen, presented their research on oral care in long-term care facilities. "It seems we are getting more jt Tho Ellccls ol Hign Ionic oirengui f I Platelet Storaye . ,,. if ! 30 I'MUIOM ,AIHAN OLjLIO0 i illL I.MI)., Quinn Bate, Kyle Fusselman and Aaron Roane stand in front of their research project poster in the Rotunda of the Capitol Building during WSU's Day at the Capitol. budget cuts than we deserve, because we really are a great undergraduate institution," Essig said. "We are a teaching institution, but because of that, our students are involved in the research, which is actually phenomenal, as opposed to being a research university where it is mostly professors with a few lucky students (doing the research)." Brcnda Kowaleski, co-director of the Community Involvement Center, said the Day at the Capitol gav e members of WSU a chance to show legislators that the university is more than just a learning institution. "1 actually think Weber State is a learning institution," she saiii. "1 wouldn't call it a teaching institution, and when you talk about learning institution, then you are talking about research, you are talking about community engagement, you are talking about teaching, you are talking about all of those things. "I think actually Weber State is providing the best education to undergrads in the state. We are affording them opportunities that they normally wouldn't get at other institutions. Our faculty are doing research; the difference is we are doing research with our students." Kowaleski said she thinks doing research on campus not only reinforces social responsibility, it can also teach students how to make a positive change locally. "I think it (is) important for students to understand ihtir education actually has an impact on the community," Kowaleski said. "What i hey arc learning on a college campus can be transferred to the community." C.nmrvf-nt on this tory at wsusignpost.com Davis campus building project doesn't make the cut By Cimaron Neugebauer news editor 1 77ie Signjxist Along list of building and land projects was cut down to only four, and Weber State University's Davis campus building project didn't make the cut. Final recommendations were made with the Capital Facilities and Government Operations and Appropriations Subcommittee at the Utah State Capitol on Thursday, Feb. 11. Last week WSU was ranked 10th in the Building Board's list of 10 projects 'throughout the state to be reviewed. On Thursday, the subcommittee only approved four priority projects out of the original list of those who initially presented last week. WSU's opportunity for receiving funding for the Davis campus building this year looks to be a long shot. Although final funding won't be certain until the end of the legislative session, it doesn't look promising, but WSU knew what they were up against at the beginning of the session, according to Vice President for University Advancement Brad Mortensen. "With Davis (campus) building, we kind of knew where we were at coming in and the session still has a long ways to go," Mortensen said. See Denied page 4